What does it look like to turn your struggles and frustrations into achievements? For the Math Guru Vanessa Vakharia, the lessons learned from failing ultimately became what drove her to succeed. “It started when I failed math, and for me personally, failing and going through the journey of being successful, math became a means to instill confidence and empowerment.” Vanessa is the Founder and Director of The Math Guru, specializing in teenage engagement in mathematics education, with a focus on encouraging young women to pursue STEM related fields. As well, Vanessa is reinventing media representations of females as they intersect with math, travelling globally to engage audiences with her workshop, “Imagining a World Where Kim Kardashian Loves Math,” encouraging teenagers, teachers, and everyone else to re-interpret and re-invent traditional stereotypes of what it means to be a “math person.” In this week’s #StartupPodcast, host Rivers Corbett talks to Vanessa about being a math hater and how she used this frustration to create an inspiring learning space that empowers young teenagers through math.